Aaron Barrett remains positive after Tommy John surgery

Nationals right-hander Aaron Barrett rejoined his teammates in the clubhouse this afternoon for the first time since undergoing successful Tommy John surgery on Thursday.

"After I got the opinions from the three doctors that I saw, the consensus was that I needed to get it done," Barrett said. "I was kind of just weighing my options to make sure because this is an important decision, not only for right now but obviously for my career, too. So it was a tough decision, but once I got the final diagnosis that this is what I need done, I think it was kind of a weight off my shoulders knowing that this is the thing to do."

Famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews performed the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction procedure, which also included removing several bone chips and shaving down a bone spur on the back of Barrett's elbow that the righty said was bigger than a thumbnail.

"The diagnosis was that it looked like something had been going on for quite some time," Barrett said. "I don't think something specific happened in a game. Just kind of over the wear of the season it continued to get worse. Every reliever has something going on. We all have nicks and pains that, it's a long season, you know? I was trying to grind through it the way I have with other stuff before. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a lot worse than we all wanted it to be."

Barrett first landed on the 15-day disabled list on June 12 with a right biceps strain. After missing nearly a month, Barrett returned to throw 7 2/3 scoreless innings in nine appearances. But in his 10th outing, the 27-year-old surrendered three runs on four hits, causing the Nats to option him to Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 5. Barrett never pitched again, as he alerted the Nationals staff of pre-existing arm soreness. He was initially diagnosed with a sprained right elbow and placed back on the DL before undergoing further tests.

"I know, as a reliever, that we're going to have aches and pains," Barrett explained. "We're going to compete, we're going to try and win every game we can. For me, I take pride in obviously taking the ball every day and kind of not saying no because I want to be that durable reliever. To look back on what I had in my elbow at the time and continuing to pitch through it, it kind of shocks me a little bit.

"I probably shouldn't have been doing that, but that's just kind of the way I am. I wanted to win. I wanted to help this team win a championship and unfortunately I'm not going to be able to do that down the stretch. Fortunately, I will be able to root these guys on and be a good teammate. But it's kind of surprising that what I had in there and I was still able to somewhat throw the ball over the plate. Not effective enough in my last outing, unfortunately. But I guess it's a little shocking."

Barrett's 2014 rookie season was impressive. In 50 appearances out of the bullpen, Barrett went 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .220 batting average and only one home run.

The results weren't nearly as productive in Barrett's sophomore campaign, as his ERA ballooned to 4.60 ERA. His wipeout slider flattened out and his velocity dropped.

"It's not a natural motion, for sure," manager Matt Williams said. "It puts a lot of strain on everything when you throw that hard and break those breaking balls off like he does."

The recovery after Tommy John surgery typically takes close to a year before pitchers return to game action.

"It stinks, obviously," Barrett said. "But I know the return rate is good. I was in good care with Dr. Andrews and I know that I'm going to come back even stronger."

Barrett's rehab has already begun with some grip and shoulder exercises. He gets out the sling on Wednesday and then will be fitted for a splint, which will remain on for three to six months.

"First couple of weeks are pretty crucial in terms of getting the range of motion back," Barrett said.

Despite having his season ended and losing a large chunk of his career, Barrett was in good spirits. He actually brought his bone spurs into the clubhouse in a jar to show his teammates. He said he plans to make a necklace out of them.